. >> i spent a third of my adult life in europe, hanging out with people who think it's whacky to be locking up people for smoking pot. >> reporter: seattle's attorney also pushed for the law. >> all we've done by prohibition is to will fill -- to fill our jails and make drug dealers quite rich. >> reporter: he said legal marijuana, even with high taxes, will be cheaper than illegal marijuana. >> you want to put the drug dealers out of business? >> absolutely. >> now that marijuana is legal in washington, the state is going to start collecting taxes on it. the state hopes to collect some $500 million. marijuana continues to be illegal under federal law. >>> feeling the impact if the country goes over the cliff. republicans are sticking to their position that tax cuts should be extended for all americans. danielle nottingham reports for wjz from washington. >>> lawmakers are getting an earful about why they need to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff. >> you have to nail this down. uncertainty is killing us. >> reporter: top economists talked about the impact of tax increases and governm